User blog:Hîr Balan/Τὰ ἐπὶ τὰ μεταφυσικά
"Τὰ ἐπὶ τὰ μεταφυσικά" or "that which is above metaphysics" is the original form of the word 'pataphysics which I would like to explore. I intend to consider the following topics. #How 'Pataphysics relates to the physical world #How consistent is 'pataphysics across worlds #How many of my readers (if I have any) have dropped dead from boredom at this point. #How 'Pataphysics could be manipulated and the consequences of doing so. 1. How 'Pataphysics relates to the physical world. Pataphsyics is definitionally "beyond truth, reality, and everything" which makes explaing 'Pataphysics rather difficult, if not outright impossible. '' ''However, it could be elaborated on by abductive and analogical processes. While we cannot understand pataphysics itslef, we can understand what it is not, and what its relationship to the physical world is like. I would use the following analogy. Lets suppose that some being (Bob) lives in a computer simulation. Now according to Bob, the "physical" world is composed of planets, stars, trees, nebulas, galexies, people, politicians, boxes, etc. Bob's simulated world is analogous to a phsyical one. It is what people experience and understand, what science describes. However, if Bob could perceive the true nature of his reality, he would discovor that it is actually composed of numbers. (Specifically, one and zero) These numbers give shape to the material of Bob's universe, but more than that, they shape the laws that govern the materials in Bob's universe. Ths numeral reality would be analogous to a metaphysical reality. This reality sets the rules for the one below it. It is composed of well-defined laws. While infinite in power to a being in the simulated/physical world, a being from the numerical/metaphysical world is still definable by their standards. While not fully comprehensible, they are not utterly ineffable. Now if Bob could view the numerical reality, he might question what was not there. The ones and zeros of the programming are simply two points on one axis of the graph. There are other numbers that compose other realities. But more to the point, there are complex numbers and the imaginary axis. These are'nt very well defined. However, they in spite of, or even because of, their lack of definition, determing what the numbers can and cannot be. Similarly, the Pataphysical/Complex world's ill-definedness is key to the defining of metaphysical/numerical concepts which in turn define physical/simulated reality. 2. How consistent is 'pataphysics across worlds. Pataphysics, from what this puny mortal can discern, remains uniform across all worlds. My reasoning is thus: Any physical state of affairs (Φ) requires certain metaphysical status (μ) in order to exist. However, as established above (1.) any metaphysical state of affairs requires some given pataphysical state (Π) to exist. Now any given μ can produce multiple Φs and any given Π will permit several μs. Now just as if we arrange the physical universe so that nothing in it will give rise to fiction, no world below Φ can exist, certain arrangements of μ and Π will not permit anything below them to exist. Now lets define the metaphysical range wherin Φ is possible as μα- μη and the metaphysical range where it is impossible as μη- μω. Given this, we know that any pataphysical state that does not permit μα- μη will not result in our world. Now it would be foolish to say that all physical universes have identical 'pataphysics since pataphysics is fundamentally incomprehensilble and we do not know if there are multiple Πs that will give rise to μα- μη. However, it would appear that there is sufficient similarity (from our point of view, if not from Cthulu's) for all Πs resulting in μα- μη and thus in ΣΦ (all possible physical worlds) to be considered uniform from our point of view. 3. How many of my readers (if I have any) have dropped dead from boredom by this point. Most likely all of you. 4. How 'pataphysics could be manipulated and the consequences for doing so. I may regret writing this part. While I doubt any member of the powerlisting community is evil enough, if (Heaven forbid) a member of 4chan ever gains 'pataphysics manipulation and visits this website, the one limit (lack of understanding) may be mitigated. While I do not comprehend Pataphysics, one could exploit the above analogy for some rudimentary uses of the power. For instance if we wanted to damage the metaphysical "coding" of the universe, we could simply input pataphysical substance into it. Manipulation of imaginary numbers would alter the axis of a graph, changing where the co-ordinates are. Similarly, changing 'pataphysics by even the slightest ammount could radically alter metaphysics and by extension physical reality. One could easily make time run backwards, everything be the same as its opposite, and even cause conservatives and liberals to get along. Jokes aside, one could also simply simplify pataphysics to a more comprehensible level, thus allowing themselves to wreak further havoc with greater precision. Perhaps from Sunday to Thursday 2+2=cat but on Friday and Saturday 2+2=a million corpses falling on London and Paris being eaten by Godzilla while New York and Moscow are teleported into the Borg Collective. But the easiest application would be nonexistence. Not for nothing is Subjective Reality one of Pataphysics manipulation's major applications. Anyhow, I hope I didn't screw that up too badly. Category:Blog posts